Dear families,
On Wednesday afternoon, the class took part in the first whole-school assembly of the 2010-2011 school year. This was our Welcome Meeting where new students were recognized (including all kindergarten students!) It was interesting to see all of the new students who have joined the Thoreau School Community since August. It was a pleasure applauding to their smiling faces!
See below for the songs we sang together at the assembly! Enjoy! {Look for additional posts on classroom curriculum, events and important dates!}
Here is a video of Raffi singing the song Evergreen Everblue in front of the UN. The entire school body sang this song at our very first all-school assembly. It was beautiful to hear the children singing their hearts out in a call-and-response to different grade-level singers. A heartwarming experience!
LISTEN TO A FIFTH GRADE CLASS SING THE THOREAU SCHOOL SONG!
Your child will definitely know how to spell the name of our school if they don't already:-}
Mrs. Swain also maintains a website of songs the students are currently learning. One of them, Big Beautiful Planet is a favorite among kindergarten children.
LISTEN TO THE SONG BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW:-}
From Mrs. Swain's website on the kindergarten curriculum:
October:
Shake Shake the Apple Tree using percussion instruments that shake: bells, tambourines and maracas as accompaniment. Nocturnal Animals: This song was used in conjunction with an art lesson with Ms. Hiltz.
Click below to hear the song.
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From Mrs. Hiltz website on the kindergarten curriculum:
Follow the link below to take you to The Art Class Page for more information:
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten students are being introduced to a variety of new materials. The lessons are designed to give students a chance to explore how these materials work and what their limits are while also introducing them to the basic elements such as line, shape, color and texture.
Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
Students are asked to describe the pipecleaners and list what they know about them. A pipe cleaner is like a straight line. How can you make it a zig zag? A spiral? A wavy line? How will you balance your sculpture? Where will you place the lines and will you add other thing like cardboard or styrofoam peanuts? Basic properties of a sculpture are discussed. (It takes up space, can be viewed from more than one side and must balance)
Paper Sculptures
How is the paper different than the pipecleaners? How can you get a zig zag or wavy line in paper? Will it stay in place like the pipecleaners? How will you secure the paper and get it to stand up? (glueing techniques are discussed) Sculpture properties are reviewed.
Lines and shapes- to music
Students discuss line. An inventory of different kinds of lines are brainstormed by the class. We then use our magic air writers to create colorful lines in the air as we listen to clips of classical music. Students are asked to think about how the music "moves" and makes them feel. What different lines are represented? Magic air writers are collected and students create lines with oil pastels as they listen to the music. They then experience the "magic" of watercolor resist by painting over their lines and discovering that oil pastels block watercolor paints from reaching the paper.
Texture Rubbing Collage
Students learn about texture, how things feel, by touching and describing different materials. They then learn how to "see" texture by doing rubbings. finally, shapes are cut out of their textured papers to form a collage. As a follow-up students may be asked to draw animals and use the rubbing technique to mimic the texture for fur, scales and feathers.
Mixed Up Chameleon
The class reads the Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. They discuss the different animals throughout the book and what their "outsides" look like. They are asked to create their own mixed up animals and to think about different ways they can make oil pastels look like fur, scales or feathers. They overlap, blend and use scratching tools to create the different effects.
Play with Clay
Students spend a class period experimenting with clay and getting acquainted with what the material can do. Students are asked to make a ball, coil, and cube out of the clay. Students make objects, rework them and make new objects in a search to understand the material. As they work we discuss critical understandings such as thickness of clay and blending objects together. Nothing is saved in order to free kids up to the experimentation.
Clay Pinch Pots
Students create these pinch pots focusing on consistancy in thickness and technique. They then use their fingers and other clay tools to create real texture into their pots. In our second class students are asked to paint their pots with tempera paints learning painting techniques and beginning to explore color mixing.
Clay special Places
How can you pinch, pull, or poke the clay to create different land forms like caves, mountains or trees? If you are going to attach how will you make things strong? How can you use texture to show the different parts of your place?
Clay Best Pets
If you could have any animal as a pet what would it be and why? An elephant would be great because on hot summer days he could sprinkle me with water. I could ride on his back and see for miles or just slide down his trunk! What animal would you choose? What parts do you need to make? Will you make them all from one piece or will you make the parts separately and then put them together?
Printing- Styrofoam
Students are introduced to the prinmaking process and learn to follow multiple steps in creating their final prints. They are introduced to the concepts of multiple images and reversal which are the important features of printmaking that separate it from other art forms.
Snowman Collage
Inspiration falls from the weather as students are asked to create their own snowmen out of paper. Circles are often one of the most challenging shapes to create for young children. This lesson gives students the opportunity to practice and understand the coordination necessary to cut and move paper at the same time. Embellishments are added with material, beads and colored sticks.
Torn Edge Collage
What is the difference in an edge that is cut and an edge that is torn. What kinds of things in the world have edges that are fuzzy or wavy? Which manner of creating shapes offers more control. How will you create the shapes you want and where will you put them?
Paper Mache Exploration
Students are introduced to paper mache in this purely experimental lesson.
Color Mixing- Painting
After discussing the color wheel, students are asked to create a painting using all the colors in the rainbow.
Brushstroke Painting
Students create these works after a discussion of different techniques for applying paint to paper. How many can you find?
Sponge Painting
Students explore sponges as a way to apply paint. How is different and similar to a brush? What happens when you dab the sponge or move the sponge across the surface? What happens when you overlap colors? Students swirl, dab and slide the sponge as they create these vibrant paintings.
Building Collage
Students use blocks to create their own special buildings. They observe the shapes they've used and try to recreate their building out of paper. Students are challenged to think about balance, placement, cutting and overlapping as they create their 3D buildings on a 2D surface. Imaginative details can be added with marker.
Paper Weaving
Students are introduced to the process of weaving. They learn about opposites and pattern.
 | I hope this information helps you connect more closely with your child around the significance and beauty of the arts in learning and experiencing the world around them!! |
